One of the things that’s different about human beings is that we alone, as far as we know, tell ourselves stories about how the universe came to be. Other animals may communicate—may sing, may cry, may signal intent—but we alone create narratives about our own existence.
From ancient civilizations carving hieroglyphics on stone walls, to modern scientists filling tomes with the hieroglyphics of mathematics, we’ve always sought to define our place in the universe. The lens through which we view the world has passed through countless iterations, beginning with ancient myths, and later variously transitioning to Plato, Einstein, and Quantum mechanics.
With that in mind, I’ve picked out five books that touch upon or reference different cosmological outlooks.